Is Gotham Knights open world?

WB Games' latest superhero action-adventure game, Gotham Knights, is available worldwide. Players can now step into the shoes of iconic members of the Bat family and fight the gangs that wreak havoc in Gotham City.

It was initially speculated that Gotham Knights would be a follow-up to Rocksteady's Batman Arkham games, which concluded with 2015's Batman Arkham Knight. However, WB Interactive Entertainment was quick to clarify that the latest title is separate from the Arkhamverse. It boasts its own narrative that does not have any links to those games.

WB Montreal, the lead development team on Gotham Knights, has been quite direct in giving players information regarding the game's narrative, gameplay, and quests. However, there are still some elements of the title that remain a mystery, starting with its open-world nature.

From the early marketing and trailers, Gotham Knights looked a lot like a linear action-adventure game. It was like Rocksteady's Batman Arkham Asylum, which, despite offering optional content, was a linear narrative-driven adventure within the confines of the titular Arkham Asylum.

However, WB Interactive Entertainment and WB Games Montreal later confirmed that their action-adventure game offers a dynamic open world for players to explore. Additionally, every action will affect Gotham City and the narrative as a whole.

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Gotham Knights' open world will be a lot like the Batman Arkahm games, with a few key differences

According to the developers, Gotham Knights' open world is very reactive to players' decisions. Everything that players do will have a tangible impact on Gotham City.

The game also features a seamless co-op integration, allowing up to four players to roam around Gotham and face the city's criminal underbelly together.

Players are free to pick whichever hero they want from Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Nightwing (Dick Grayson), Red Hood (Jason Todd), and Robin (Tim Drake). They can also pick the same hero as another player.

WB Games Montreal has been quite secretive in revealing Gotham Knights' setting and open world. This is understandable, given the narrative of the game is tightly woven around these elements. Fortunately, players will not have to wait long to get their hands on the title and explore Gotham City for themselves.

WB Games Montreal previously worked on Batman Arkham Origins. While not on par with Rocksteady's Arkhamverse titles, it was still a solid action-adventure game featuring the Caped Crusader.

Gotham Knights does not share much in common with the Arkhamverse games apart from the characters and the setting. However, players coming from those games will feel right at home with the title's open world, which is reminiscent of Arkham Origins' Gotham City.

Fans' reaction to the upcoming action-adventure title featuring the Bat family has been polarizing. This is partly due to the game's introduction of RPG gameplay systems, with level-based progression, and a combat system that isn't as flashy and fluid as the Arkham games.

It is highly commendable that WB Games Montreal is trying something new with the superhero action-adventure sub-genre. However, it is still questionable whether the RPG mechanics will fit with a title that is a high-octane action game at its heart.

WB Games Montreal's upcoming game has been released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC on October 21, 2022.